This pilot study attempts to evaluate, for dental materials use, a new technique called the laser acoustic emission thermal technique, (LAETT). This procedure has been successfully used to study the bond strength between graphite fibers in an epoxy matrix, but may be appropriate to locally quantify the filler/matrix interaction in dental composite materials as well as the bonding strength between dentin bonding agent and dentin. Inherent in LAETT may be the ability, in dental composites, to localize the investigation of the fiber/matrix interface thus removing the contribution from the resin matrix. This is important in attempting to explain the change in strength values and wear in composites when subjected to oral fluids. Applied to dentin bonding, LAETT may be able to localize the bonding agent interface and thus eliminate the confounding effect of the macroscopic shear bond strength test which needs to incorporate a composite/bonding agent interface to obtain strength values. Results obtained With LAETT will be compared with those obtained by conventional techniques, which include the compressive and diametral tensile tests in the case of composites, and shear strength measurements in the case of dentin bonding, to determine the extent of correlation. It is the objective of this work to determine if quantitative measurements in dental composites and dentin bonding can actually be made by (LAETT). Both conventional and LAETT techniques will be applied in this pilot study to quantify the effects in the filler/matrix interfacial bonding strengths of model dental composites produced by altering the volume fraction and silanation of fillers as well as through the accelerated degradation of filler/matrix interfacial bonds under the oral simulating environments. In addition, both conventional and LAETT test methods will be applied to quantify the dentin bonding strengths of commercial dentin bonding agents and their degradation under saline solution storage.